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There’s nothing quite like ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls. These vegan cinnamon rolls without yeast are no exception! They’re soft and fluffy with a buttery cinnamon filling. Top them off with a sweet dairy-free frosting, and these cinnamon buns are (*chef’s kiss*) so good!
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Cinnamon Rolls without Yeast
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: Sweet with warm cinnamon and caramel notes from the brown sugar.
- Texture: Soft and fluffy with a buttery filling.
- Difficulty: Easy- no kneading required!
- Time: About 40 minutes start to finish including baking time. Much faster than traditional cinnamon rolls made with yeast.
Why We Love These Vegan Cinnamon Rolls:
Most of us are in agreement around the fact that traditional cinnamon rolls take far too long. I LOVE cinnamon rolls on the weekend, but I don’t love spending hours making them. Sometimes you just want to skip all that rising time.
These are the best easy no knead vegan cinnamon rolls that you’ll be able to eat as soon as you first have a craving for them. I love that these homemade buns are dairy-free, egg-free, annnd yeast-free plus they’re super easy and fast.
Why This Recipe Works
A bulk of the prep time for traditional cinnamon rolls comes from needing to let the dough rise. One way to avoid all the rise time is by using a non-yeasted dough. This dough is adapted from my Yeast-Free Vegan Monkey Bread Recipe. It uses baking powder and melted vegan butter instead of yeast to achieve soft buttery layers without all the extra time.
Ingredients
Okay, what actually goes into cinnamon rolls that don’t have any yeast, butter, eggs, or milk? Below are the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make these easy cinnamon rolls (hopefully you already have most of them on hand!).
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Light Brown Sugar
- Vegan Butter, I used Salted Country Crock Plant Butter
- Dairy Free Milk, I like to use oat milk or almond milk
- Vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
- Ground Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
Dairy Free Frosting Ingredients
This recipe is topped off with a fluffy dairy free frosting. You can use softened vegan butter or your favorite vegan cream cheese to make a cream cheese frosting.
- Softend Vegan Butter or Vegan Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Dairy Free Milk
- Lemon Juice
Helpful Equipment
Here are a few tools that will make creating this recipe extra easy:
- 9×13″ Baking Pan: for baking the rolls
- Large Mixing Bowl: for making the dough
- Rolling Pin: to roll out the dough
- 1-2 Smaller Bowls: for the icing and filling
Step By Step Guide
*Ingredient Quantities are in the Recipe Card Below!*
Making the Dough
Prepare the filling by combining the softened vegan butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix together the dairy free milk and vinegar to make a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add in the dairy-free milk and vinegar, the melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract.
Then mix until just combined. The dough should come together into a rough ball.
Lightly flour a clean work surface with 2-3 tbsp of flour. Transfer the dough and shape it into a ball. Then, flatten it into a 6-inch diameter disk. Roll out into a long rectangle. The dough should be around 1/4” thick.
Shaping the Cinnamon Buns
Spread the filling on the dough leaving a ¼” border on all the edges. Roll the dough into a log lengthwise, and cut into rolls that are about 1 ½ inches thick. There should be 8 total cinnamon rolls.
Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish and bake for 25-26 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Making the Dairy Free Frosting
While the rolls are baking, stir together the ingredients for the frosting in a small bowl.
Let the buns cool slightly, then spread the frosting on top! Enjoy 🙂
Serving Tips
After baking and cooling, I like to serve these rolls with a generous smear of vegan cream cheese frosting, fresh berries, and a nice rich cup of coffee.
These are honestly the best, quick and easy vegan cinnamon rolls I’ve had. They’re super ooey-gooey, fluffy, soft and are ready to eat in a pinch.
Storage Tips
Like most baked goods, these cinnamon rolls have the best texture on the same day they’re made.
But they’re of course still tasty the next day! To store them, place them in an airtight container.
If you’ve put the icing on them, I recommend storing them in the fridge (for up to 2-3 days) and reheating them in the microwave.
FAQ
Yes, this recipe is dairy-free. These cinnamon rolls have no milk and no butter in them. They use plant-based butter and dairy-free ‘buttermilk’ for a fluffy enriched dough.
Vegan buttermilk is very easy to make. All you need to do is mix together plant-based milk and a little bit of vinegar. Then, set the mixture aside for about 5-10 minutes to curdle slightly.
While I haven’t tried it in this particular recipe, you could try substituting coconut oil or shortening for the vegan butter. In the dough, make sure the coconut oil is melted. For the filling, the coconut oil should be softened.
I’m using baking powder in combination with homemade vegan buttermilk to create soft and fluffy vegan cinnamon rolls without yeast!
More Vegan Breakfast Ideas To Try
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (without yeast!)
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Filling
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, (120g) loosely packed
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp salted vegan butter, softened
Dough:
- ¾ cup dairy-free milk, like almond or oat milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 330g, plus 2-3 tbsp for rolling out the dough (see notes)
- 1 tbsp baking powder, 12g
- ½ tsp salt, 1g
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 4g
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar, 15g, optional
- ¼ cup salted vegan butter, (56g) melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 3 tbsp softened salted vegan butter, or softened vegan cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1-2 tsp dairy-free milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large pinch of salt
Instructions
Making the Dough:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Prep a 9×13" baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Prepare the filling by combining the softened vegan butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.¾ cup light brown sugar, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, 3 tbsp salted vegan butter
- In a medium-sized bowl or a pyrex measuring cup, mix together the dairy-free milk and the vinegar to make the vegan buttermilk. Set aside to curdle for 5 minutes.¾ cup dairy-free milk, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- Add in the dairy-free milk and vinegar, the melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract. Then mix until just combined. The dough should come together into a rough ball. See notes if the dough is super sticky.¾ cup dairy-free milk, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup salted vegan butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Shaping the Cinnamon Rolls:
- Lightly flour a clean work surface with 2-3 tbsp of flour. Transfer the dough and shape it into a ball. Then, flatten it into a 6-inch diameter disk.
- Roll out into a 14-16” long x 9-10” wide rectangle. The dough should be around 1/4” thick.
- Spread the filling on the dough leaving a ¼” border on all the edges.
- Start rolling from the shorter (9-10") side of your rectangular dough, moving towards the opposite short edge. Roll tightly and evenly until you reach the end, then pinch the seam to seal.
- Cut into 1-1½ inch thick rolls. There should be 8 rolls.
- Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish and bake for 25-26 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
How to Make the Frosting:
- While the rolls are baking, stir together the ingredients for the frosting in a small bowl.3 tbsp softened salted vegan butter, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1 ½ tsp lemon juice, 1-2 tsp dairy-free milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 large pinch of salt
- The mixture should be spreadable and fluffy. If the frosting looks too thick, add up to 2 more teaspoons of dairy-free milk. If the mixture looks runny, add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Let the buns cool slightly before spreading the frosting on top.
Recipe notes
- This recipe uses the spoon and level method to measure the flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup (vs. scooping directly from the bag) and level off the top with a butter knife. This prevents over-measuring the flour. You can also use a digital scale to measure the flour for the most accurate results.
- If the dough feels extra sticky, sprinkle 1-2 tbsp of flour over it until it is manageable enough to roll out.
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Love this recipe! So easy, quick, and delicious + my entire family ate it in an hour!! 5/5⭐️